Another unusual feature of the Akira class is the hangar bay arrangements. There are two large shuttle bays in the saucer section, one at the forward edge of the saucer section and one at the rear.⁸ These are linked together through the centre of the ship, allowing large numbers of launch and landing operations to be handled simultaneously. During peacetime this allows the Akira to evacuate large numbers of small survey craft, or ferry evacuees on board at a high rate. During the Dominion war the ships often serve as fighter carriers; in this role they can carry up to one hundred attack fighters, although a load of thirty six fighters and a dozen utility craft is more usual.

The USS Akira entered service in 2363, and a rapid production run put nearly a hundred others into the fleet over the next twelve years. Most were assigned to units on the outer Federation territories, performing patrol and presence missions as well as the normal mapping and exploration duties which any Starfleet vessel is expected to handle.

More recently the escalation of tensions at the Federations core over the last few years has led to almost all of the Akiras being recalled to operate nearer to Earth; thirty five where assigned to the Typhon Sector Fleet in 2370, the remainder being assigned to the areas adjacent to the Cardassian, Klingon and Romulan borders. Akira class vessels featured prominently in the 2373 Borg attack on Earth²; the Typhon Fleet, together with several reinforcement squadrons, fought a running battle with the Borg vessel from the Typhon sector to Earth. Many of the ships were destroyed during this battle. A notable participant was the USS Thunderchild, NCC 63549, which participated in the final assault which destroyed the Borg cube.²

The Akiras had been due to cease production in 2373, but with the disastrous contact with the Dominion Starfleet decided to continue production at an increased rate. When the Dominion war began, production of the Akira was boosted to eighteen per year as the Federation converted its economy to a war footing. The Akiras have now become a common sight on the front lines, participating in most of the major battles.